


Pockets Full of Sunshine

by Kestrealbird



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Aesthetic Outifits tbh, Alternate Universe - All Female, Asshole hunters for like one chapter, Background Clarus, Background Regis, Drabbles, Female Gladio, Female Noctis, Female Prompto, Fluff, Friendship is Magic, Good Dad Regis, He's still a shit though, Ignis is Done With Your Shit™, Kid Gladio, Kid Ignis, Lil shit Ignis, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, No bad things here folks, Nyctophobia, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Poor Noctis, Prompto can Cook, RIP to Gender Norms, Sick! Ignis, Sligthly sick Noctis, Soft Boys™, Trust, female ignis, happiness, he needs new friends, kid noctis - Freeform, poor Gladio, thirsty oc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-14 23:06:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11793342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kestrealbird/pseuds/Kestrealbird
Summary: Drabbles and one-shots for XV Week showing the happy moments between the Bros.





	1. Worst Cooks of Eos

**Author's Note:**

> Yo I'm taking part in this week just to give myself a kick up the ass so I can be productive.
> 
> God I hope I get all this stuff out on time because I am terrible with deadlines oops

“Well, it’s not the the _worst_ thing I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s horrible isn't it?” Noct moaned from the table, his head hidden behind his arms. Prompto grimaced and made a vague gesture with his hands. Gladio kept his nose covered just in case the burnt... _thing_ on the plate was emitting toxic fumes or something.

“I still think noodles would be-” Prompto gave Gladio such a glare that he felt his nether regions shrivel up and die like a dried out mushroom.

“We are not,” Prompto said, slowly, “feeding a _sick_ Ignis _noodles_.”

Noctis poked what was supposed to have been a pancake but instead looked more like a pile of someone's ashes, and frowned. “Well we can’t we can’t give him this either,” he muttered, annoyed that no-one had thought of the possibility that Ignis might get sick.

No-one, that was, except Prompto apparently, who’d taken one look at Ignis that morning, and marched him straight to bed and then did the chores _and_ cooked a breakfast for everyone. Noctis wasn’t sure if he was more annoyed that he’d forgotten Ignis could get sick, or that he’d ignored how competent Prompto actually _was_ and immediately declared they were all going to die without Ignis there to cook for them.

Gladio sighed.

“You know,” Prompto said, as if he was reading them the weather report, “if you two hadn’t decided to take on three hunts during a _downpour_ I wouldn’t have to teach you how to cook after you’d been overcome with guilt, now would I?”

Noctis grimaced, sinking low into his chair, feeling very much like a scolded child. Gladio looked like he was trying to become part of the wall.

Prompto looked down at them both, smiled softly, then picked up the disaster of a Pancake, and dropped it in the bin. “Well, we can’t be perfect at everything on the first try.” Noct and Gladio looked at him with a sparkle of hope in their eyes. He placed his hands on his hips, grinned, and pointed to the remaining ingredients. “How about egg and soldiers?”

~~~~

Ignis looked down at the plate Noctis handed him, smiling at the uneven slices of bread, some of them with butter spread too thin and others spread too thick, and the eggs that were boiled for just a _tad_ too long. None of it looked like war rations, which obviously meant that Prompto had gotten there just in time to save the meal.

Noctis stood by the foot of his bed, twiddling his hands, shifting nervously from foot to foot. Gladio was pointedly not looking at him, an embarrassed blush high on his cheeks. Ignis dipped one of the bread slices into the egg, ate it in one bite, then nodded. “We might be able to make chefs of you, yet.”

Noctis beamed. Gladio laughed, relieved that they’d done a good job, and Prompto walked by with the laundry basket, barking at Noct to give him a hand. Ignis smiled wider. They’d be alright with Prompto after all.


	2. Do you Trust Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dudes I thought I was gonna be late for this one because I was out all day but I sat down and here it is. MY BIAS AND THE ONE I WAS LOOKING FOWARD TO WRITING!! Tbh I had a few ideas for this one but I went with this one for a change of pace and I hope Ya'll enjoy it.

“Ignis….do you trust me?”

Trust was a hard thing for Ignis to give, not because his trust had been betrayed or anything, but simply because, as Noct’s Advisor, he had been raised to trust people with a grain of salt. You never really knew who was being sincere and who wasn’t; who would sell you out for some extra gil and who would protect you in battle without the slightest hesitation.

He trusted Noctis to, somehow, keep to a deadline, but he couldn’t trust him to keep a healthy diet. He trusted Gladio with his life, but didn’t trust him to keep his emotions in check when things got stressful and hard. He had told them as much before, and they took no offense to the remarks, but he still felt guilty about distrusting them with anything. 

Ignis, for the life of him, couldn’t trust Prompto to keep himself out of danger, something that Prompto had laughed about and promised to try and stay out of trouble. Key word being “try” of course. He could, however, trust Prompto with his insecurities and fears and nightmares. 

He’d been afraid of the dark since he was a young boy. There was no reason to be afraid, it was simply something he’d always been scared of, and the only person he had ever told was Prompto. 

They’d had money for two rooms that night, and it was unspoken that Noct would share with Gladio, just in case someone should try to attack them. It had happened before, surprisingly. 

Ignis had woken up from a nightmare, sweating and panting, his eyes flying about the room, but he couldn’t  _ see _ anyone or anything and he’d felt panic grip his chest. Prompto had whispered his name, ad continued to whisper things to him until he’d calmed down, and he found himself sitting on the edge of his bed, arms wrapped around Prompto’s waist and head buried in his stomach. 

He was shaking, crying even, the feel of Prompto’s fingers through his hair helping to keep his mind grounded. Soft reassurances stopped his tears, his shaking, but the fear was still there. 

And now here he was, staring up at Prompto with confusion as the question of trust echoed in his mind.

“Yes...of course I do.” He whispered, sincere. 

Prompto’s hands cupped his face, thumbs wiping away the tear tracks. Ignis’ eyes fluttered. It had been so long since someone had wiped away his tears; it felt so  _ nice _ and  _ warm _ . “Then you can trust me when I say, that should you ever get lost in the dark, I’ll lead you to the other side, okay?” 

His hands tightened their hold on Prompto’s shirt to stop the choked sound from escaping his throat. He nodded, and found it so  _ easy _ to believe those words, that he never thought to question  _ why _ . 

“....stay….” the plea left his lips before his brain could catch up to everything, and then, suddenly, he found himself laying down with Prompto on the bed, head tucked under his friend’s chin, and feeling safer than he had for weeks. 

Trust was a hard thing for Ignis to give, but once he did, it was so very hard to break. 

“I’m glad that I know you,” he murmured. Prompto stiffened in surprise, then a soft smile spread over his face, affection making his freckles glow, as he pressed a kiss to the top of Ignis’ head. 

“I’m glad I know you too, Ignis.”


	3. Bros before Chocobos?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I'm churning these out faster than I expected!! Let's hope I can keep it up!

“The  _ reason _ I left that Chocobo was so I could save your ass, and what do you do!?” Noctis threw his hands into the air with disbelief, “you go back into the danger zone to save it! What was the point of me getting my clothes singed for you, really!?”

Prompto, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, looked up at Noct through his eyelashes and sheepishly stuck his tongue out, as if he hadn’t gotten stabbed in the side just to protect a big ass bird half an hour ago. 

“What happened to ‘Bros before Chocobos’ Prompto?” He placed his hands on his hips with a scowl.

“I have never once agreed with that statement,” Prompto said in dead seriousness, staring straight into Noct’s eyes. 

Noctis gaped. “You’d abandon me for a Chocobo!?”

“Absolutely.” Prompto nodded.

Noctis turned to Ignis and Gladio, “can you believe this!?” He screeched.

“To be completely honest,” Ignis started, slowly, as Noctis felt his heart sink in dismay, “I’d sell your soul for the chance to hold a Tonberry.”

“This is treason!” 

Prompto shrugged. Ignis studied his nails. 

Noctis turned to Gladio with hope in his eyes. “You’re my shield right?” Gladio shifted uncomfortably, “you’d never leave me for a Behemoth would you?”

“Well….I mean…” Gladio trailed off, an embarrassed flush on his cheek bones. 

“I’m getting new friends!!” Noctis declared, storming off back to the car.

Once they were all seated and off on the road again, Gladio turned to him and asked, “Are you saying you wouldn’t leave us for dead to protect that cat in Galdin?”

“His name,” Noctis growled, “is Gregory, and that’s a completely different scenario.  _ You’re  _ supposed to protect  _ me _ , not the other way around.”

Ignis rolled his eyes. “So glad to know we’re appreciated.”


	4. Warrior Women

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so much fun to write! I think it's my favourite so far lol

Gladio stretched out her limbs, wincing at the period cramps in her stomach, and flipped her hair back over her shoulder, sighing in content when the breeze hit the side that was shaved. She walked to where Noctis was laying sprawled on the ground, her hair pulling out of it’s bun, and lightly smacked the Princess's shoulder a couple of times.

“Come on, Charming, time to get up.” 

Noct whined, “do I have to?” Gladio raised an eyebrow. “Ugh. Fine. Whatever.” She hoisted herself to her feet and looked around the area. The hunters they’d run into on the way to this bounty were all still alive and in one piece, but she didn’t completely relax until she saw Ignis helping Prompto limp over to them.

Gladio looked their youngest friend and sister up and down in confusion. “Hell happened to you?”

Prompto blew some hair out of her face, silently lamenting the knots she’d have to brush out later because she hadn’t bothered to tie it up, then shrugged with a grin. “Ignis did this awesome flip so, naturally, I tried to snap a photo but I wasn’t looking where I was going and, well,” she gestured to her right ankle, helplessly, “this happened.”

Ignis pinched the bridge of her nose, breathing deeply, her side braid still as perfect as ever. Noctis wondered what kind of secret formula she used to keep it so perfect, and wondered if her Advisor would be willing to share said secrets. Probably not, but it was worth a try anyway.

“Hand me a potion,” Noct sighed, resigned to the fact that Prompto would always suffer small injuries like this for her photos. Not like Noctis was any better given she’d broken her arms more than once trying to fish something out of a pond or lake.

“Unfortunately,” Ignis grit her teeth in mild annoyance, “we  _ wasted _ them all to keep those Hunters alive.”

Prompto winced, waving off Noct’s concern, then turned to Gladio, about to speak up about what she thought they should do, when some of the….less than useful Hunters sidled up to them as if they were demure kittens who’d been declawed. Prompto stepped back from the group, her eyes flitting between Ignis and the Hunter with nipple piercings (they only knew this because he’d bragged about them in an attempt to impress Ignis, which, needless to say, hadn’t worked in his favour). This Hunter, Baron, had taken one look at Ignis and had, for whatever entitled reason his masculinity could think of, decided she would  _ obviously _ stoop low enough to date a piece of shit like him. 

“Hey there beautiful,” he purred, hands trying to hover near her waist. Ignis shook her head, not allowing Gladio to behead the man then and there. Gladio pouted. She signed something the Hunters couldn’t understand, but it made Ignis smile in amusement. 

_ But I could crush his head so easily _ .

Ignis signed back with calmer, less erratic, movement.

_ If I wanted to crush his head I would’ve done o with my thighs already _ .

Noctis snorted, covering up the sound with a cough. “Dust,” she lied.

They were only putting up with them because they’d offered them a ride here and back while the Regalia was being upgraded with a better engine, but the girls unanimously agreed to leave these pests here and simply walk the rest of the way back. At least the daemons made decent company.

Ignis turned on her heel, took Prompto’s arm to support the shorter girl’s weight, then walked off down the road. “Come on,” she said with finality, “let’s get that ankle looked at.”

For whatever, inane, reason, Baron decided to shout out, “I can speak the language of Love!” His friends laughed. 

Ignis, with a restraint that even Shiva would bow down to, decided not to fill his body up with knives like a puffed out pincushion, and instead calmly replied, “and I can speak many languages, including, but not limited to, Not Interested and Fuck Off.” 

It was a good thing, Prompto reasoned, that Ignis was supporting her weight, because she was rather sure she would’ve collapsed on the dirt from laughter.

With one last comment from Gladio, (“What about that lift back?” “We’ll walk.”) most of the hunters got the point, wisely leaving them behind. Most of them, that was, except Baron, who decided if Ignis wouldn’t say yes than, for reasons beyond anyone’s comprehension, Noctis or Prompto would. He’d already tried his act with Gladio, until she stood up to her full 6’4 height and stared him down in a silent challenge.

He didn’t even get a single word out before Noctis spoke up, her ire with his presence having finally reached it’s limit. “Unless you wish for your throat area to be better acquainted with my partially oxidised tool of slicing purposes,” she summoned her Engine Blade to prove the point, “I suggest you refrain from actively utilizing your vocal chords, and remove yourself from our presence,” her eyes sliced straight through him, “am I clear?”

It wasn’t long before they were left on their own, breathing in the peace and quiet with open joy. 

Gladio smirked. “Guess those speech lessons finally paid off, eh, Iggy?”

Ignis rolled her eyes, smile flitting across her mouth. “Indeed.”

“He deserved it,” Noctis muttered.

Prompto snickered. “Almost as much as that other guy deserved the tongue lashing Gladio gave him for whining about the small cramp in his arm.”

“Listen,” Gladio pointed at Prompto for effect, “when he’s doubled over in pain because his uterus is shedding it’s insides, or he’s holding back tears because he had to shoot a gun in an awkward angle and now his arm needs to be popped back into it’s socket, then he can complain.”

“I believe,” Ignis said, “that your ankle is sprained.”

They all stared at Prompto who broke out in a nervous sweat. “A-ah really? I thought for sure I’d just twisted it a little.”

“Mm-hmmm.” They all replied, unamused. 

Prompto sighed, moving so she could use Ignis’ breasts as a pillow. 

“Comfy?” She asked.

“Softer than Gladio’s but smaller than Noct’s. Perfect for a cushion, but not so much a pillow.” Prompto grinned up at Ignis, who calmly stood up, ignoring the ‘oof’ as Prompto hit the dirt, and walked away.

“You can share with Noctis tonight, then, since you like her ‘pillow’ so much better than mine.”

“Oh come on, Iggy,” Prompto whined, limping after her like an idiot who didn’t care about her own health. Oh wait. “You know Noct kicks in her sleep~”

“Then share with Gladio, and for God’s sake, Prompto, don’t walk on your bad ankle,” Ignis scolded, effortlessly throwing Prompto over her shoulder. Prompto crossed her arms with a smile, humming in content.

“Gladio’s boobs are too firm and she takes up so much  _ room _ I can never get comfy.”

“Then sleep on top of me for once!” Gladio called after her. Prompto stuck her tongue out.

“And there they go,” Noct sighed, gesturing to the bickering girls in front of them.

“As always,” Gladio replied. 

“Last one there pays for dinner!” Noct warped across the field, laughter echoing behind her.

“Cheater!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so some quick extra notes about this little AU: Ignis has once knocked someone out by throwing her heel at them. Ignis is 5'9, Noctis is 5'8 and Prompto is 5 foot but wears heeled boots so she isn't dwarfed by everyone else. Prompto knows that many people have had crushes on her, and finds it cute. She still turns into the biggest mess around people she likes though (Cindy, Aranea, probably Luna etc.) Noctis 100% brags about her boobs having "The Prompto Seal of Approval for Best Pillow Efficiency". Gladio is a little insecure about her height and muscular build but the girls always remind her that anyone who can't handle this clearly doesn't deserve her.
> 
> Ignis, Noctis and Prompto all look like the Female designs Doomherald on Tumblr came up with. Check him out btw he's a great artist!!


	5. Glitching in Real Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately I didn't have much inspiration for the prompts today, but I managed to produce this cute lil drabble so I hope you still enjoy it!

“Ignis help us before he knocks something over!”

Ignis looked up at Gladio from behind his glasses, licked his thumb, then slowly turned his page. “You’re the one who wanted him to try warping while he’s  _ ill _ .” 

Gladio turned to glare at the younger boy, and got a face full of a coughing Noctis for his trouble. Noctis opened his mouth to apologize, but a sudden kitten like sneeze sent him warping across the room, and into one of the mattress barricades Gladio had set up to avoid any injuries should anything go wrong. 

Regis and Clarus had walked in a few times to check on the young children, but Gladio had assured them he had everything under control, and, even though he so  _ clearly _ didn’t, they decided to amuse the kids and left them be. About 10 minutes later, Ignis had smirked as Gladio finally started asking for help.

It was a shame that Ignis could hold a  _ grudge _ . If only Gladiolus hadn’t left him to deal with Noct’s tantrum a few months back….

“Come on I said I was sorry didn’t I!?”

“You also said you had this,” he gestured to their current predicament, “under control.” 

Gladio slid across the floor to stare pleadingly at Ignis. “What do you want me to do?”

Ignis’ glasses glinted in the light. “Admit to your father that you have no idea what you’re doing and need help.”

Gladio gaped in shock.

“Oh dear,” Ignis tutted, “he almost hit his head that time.” He had never, in his young life, seen Gladio run off to get his father so fast. 

Noctis stopped walking and calmly sat down beside Ignis. “There I helped you get back at him. Can I have first taste of your new cookies now?”

Ignis nodded. “A deal’s a deal. You do need to rest up lest that cough get worse though.”

“Sure, sure.” Noctis waved him off, a few more coughs escaping him, then looked innocently at the door when Gladio, Clarus and Regis all walked in. Regis took one look at Noctis, shook his head, and promptly left the room.


	6. What are You Wearing!?

Tanra sighed as she cradled her cup of Iced Tea, staring forlornly out at the scorching region she was in from the safety of a window. Anyone who was out there doing work was either incredibly stupid, or had no sense of temperature, and she didn’t want to find out which answer was worse.

Thank god her co-worker, Hashil, had taken pity on her and was doing both of their shifts today. Tanra was practically melting in her seat already; if she’d been working then there’d be a new puddle on the ground for all of a minute before the sun made her evaporate into the gods forsaken clouds.

She looked around at the people here, giving a polite nod to the regulars, and ignoring most of the others. She’d seen it all, really. The punks; the hunters; the rockstars; the assholes; the cheats; people covered in tattoos or piercings, sometimes both. Honestly nothing could really surprise her anymore, as evidenced with the time she’d seen a ghost horse without a head and simply shooed it out of the shop with nothing more than a weary sigh.

Nothing could surprise her, except, apparently, four grown men walking into the shop wearing clothes that screamed ‘Fuck Gender Norms It’s too Hot for That Bullshit’.

She gaped at them, equal parts impressed with their confidence, and intimidated by the sheer badassery they exuded just from their desire to wear these clothes.

The biggest man, with tattoos spreading over his torso, had booty shorts, a see through, dark tinted crop top, and pink nail varnish. Tanra felt her mouth run dry and blamed her sweaty palms on the heat of the day.

Her eyes landed on the emo looking man, with bags under his eyes and a sullen pout on his lips. His shirt had cats printed on it, and Tanra couldn’t help but silently praise his use of a cropped denim jacket and a pleated skirt. Blue nails completed his look, making Tanra whistle quietly to herself.

There was a blonde with them too, obviously foreign, but no less attractive than all the others. An oversized Moogle Hoodie, navy blue tights, white shorts with embroidered roses, and studded ankle boots. His nail varnish was orange. Her favourite was still the big guy -damn she really did have a type- but Tanra appreciated this man’s aesthetic all the same.

The last male made her dry mouth feel like a desert. Skinny denim jeans, heels that could easily kill a man -and preferably her, good lord she needed help- and a red shirt with a Tonberry on the breast pocket. She looked down at his nails, just to see if he had varnish on too, and was pleased to see that his nails were painted Purple.

The more Tanra looked at them, the more her thirsty little heart demanded her to try and chat them up. She might have tried, if she wasn’t an absolute mess whenever she spoke to attractive people.

Hashil walked past her with a grin, whispered “take a fucking sip, babes,” then darted out of the way of her slap, laughing all the while. He bounded up to the four men, said something to them, and Tanra watched with growing horror as they turned and walked over to her.

Hashil was a traitor and she would never cover for him when he snuck off with his Lover ever again.

“We heard you’re the one to go to for information on the area?” The one with the red shirt spoke first, and Tanra took a gulp of her Iced Tea to bide some time.

Any normal person would answer the question right then, but Tanra wasn’t normal so instead she blurted, “What are you wearing?”

Red Shirt quirked an eyebrow at her, Emo Kitty snorted while Blondie and Pin-Me-Down-Please smiled in amusement. Tanra stuttered, trying to backtrack. It was hopeless, so she placed her head on the table with a pathetic whine. “Please pretend this never happened so I can die in peace later.”

She sat up with a groan, resigned to her fate of being an Eternal Embarrassment, and opened her mouth to ask them what they wanted, when a hand was offered in front of her. She blinked, shaking it for politeness.

“The names Noct,” Emo- Noct said. He pointed to the other three as he said their names, “this is Iggy, Prom and Gladio.” She had a feeling those weren’t their full names, but saw no reason to press the issue.

“We were wonderin’ where we could find some decent hunts ‘round here.” Oh god Gladio’s voice was so _deep_ and _rugged_ , she was going to _die_.

“There’s a big stop just a couple miles west of here where you can pick some good ones,” she responded, faintly.

Prom clapped his hands together in delight, grin bright as the sun. “Thanks for your help~~”

Iggy gave her a nod, and before they could leave, she called out to them. “Can I ask why you chose those colours for your nails?” Honestly she just wanted an excuse to talk to these people for a little longer, they seemed far more interesting than anyone else so far.

Noct scratched the back of his head with a click of his teeth. “I like fishing so…” He looked embarrassed. How cute.

Gladio snickered. “He couldn’t paint his nails right so I did it for him.”

“Hey!”

Gladio ignored him. “I have a little sister and we’re meeting up with her soon so I thought I’d wear it for nostalgia.” He really was a man after her heart wasn’t he?

Prom shrugged. “We didn’t have yellow so orange was the closest I could get to Chocobo colours.” Well that was….unexpected. Why couldn’t they stay here and talk to her all day? Curse her bad luck.

Iggy rolled his eyes at them all. “I’m from Tenebrae,” he explained, simply. It made sense. His accent should’ve given it away, but Tanra didn’t pay much attention to such things anymore.

She watched them go with small regret, and resolved to give them a discount should they return here, in exchange for more conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I was so looking forward to writing this lmao RIP Gender norms  
> Brief note: Tanra has dark skin, short amber hair and hazel eyes. Also I kinda love her now oops  
> In my HC Tenebrae has two Royal Colours: White and Purple so Ignis went with Purple as a more subtle way of showing his heritage.


	7. A Parents Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regis gets Noct a birthday present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, um, I was ill the last day of XV Week so instead of writing a prompt late I decided to wait a while and write a fic for Noct's birthday. I'm also gonna be posting this drabble as a separate fic but here ya go

Regis Lucis Caelum was a busy man, and an even busier King. He rarely found time for himself, these days, what with the war and all. But the one thing he prided himself in, was being able to find time to spend with his son, regardless of how busy he was. 

Sure, he could no longer give Noctis piggy back rides, or rough house as easily as he used to, but sometimes just swordfighting down five flights down stairs, and watching Noctis swing off of a chandelier made up for his lack of...well. Him. 

But today….today was special. It was Noct’s birthday, and it had been a long time since they’d sat down and talked for more than five minutes. Regis couldn’t help but shuffle with nervous energy as he stood in front of his son’s apartment door. 

He could’ve just called Noctis back to the Citadel for a while, but the dad in him found that to sound too official, and before he’d given Clarus a chance to convince him otherwise, Regis had found himself driving down here in what he hoped was a good disguise. In retrospect, wearing a jumper, sunglasses and a low cap when it was 25 Celsius out probably wasn’t his best idea. 

He raised his hand to knock and the door opened before he could.

Noctis raised an eyebrow. “Weird fashion sense aside,” he said, slowly, “you know you don’t have to  _ knock _ right?”

“I didn’t know if you were getting a more personal birthday gi-”

Noctis slapped a hand over Regis’ mouth, groaning. “Let’s get inside before you tell everyone about my sex life.”

Chuckling, Regis complied, shutting the door behind him. He glanced around the living room, smiling at the gifts he saw on the table and the sofa. “I see I’m late to the party,” he commented, stepping over some confetti on the floor. Noctis laughed, waving him off, but Regis still felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He’d missed a lot of events like this in recent years…..

They sat side by side on the sofa together. Noctis had to move the violin to make them fit. “Gladio’s gift,” he shrugged. 

“I’m guessing the Moogle statue was Iris, then?”

Noctis nodded, smiling. “Ignis got me a new fishing rod, and Prompto cooked the cake.”

“Extra icing?”

“Naturally.”

There was a lot he could say, right now, a lot he could discuss with Noctis. The supposed treaty; the trip he had planned to get the boys out of the city just in case. But, more importantly….

“I’m sorry,” he blurted, before he could stop himself. 

Noctis blinked, surprised. “What for?”

Regis swallowed, placing his hat and sunglasses on the table. “For not being around as often as I used to be. I have….missed a lot of your growth in recent years.”

Noctis shifted, unsure how to react. “W-well I mean, you’re the King right? I mean, yeah, it sucks and I do get angry sometimes when it feels like you’re putting me last on your priority list, but I get it you know? You can’t be my Dad  _ and _ run a whole city during a war without sacrificing something. I don't like it but…”

Regis heaved a sigh, and pressed a box into Noct’s lap. “Open it?” 

Confused at the sudden turn of events, Noctis lifted the lid and gasped at what was inside. A jacket and a single black glove lay together, folded neatly. “These are….”

A bittersweet expression crossed Regis’ face for a moment, before it melted into a sad smile. “They belonged to your mother,” he whispered. “Her other glove is lost, I’m afraid, but I...I wanted you to have this little piece of her with you. It...isn’t much from a King but-”

“You’re not the King, though, are you?” Regis stared at his son, who sniffed, wiping his eyes with a smile. “You’re my dad right?” Noct’s voice cracked, and Regis had barely a moment to nod before his son’s arms were around his neck, shuddering breaths the only indication that he was trying not to cry. 

Arms encircled Noctis, holding him close, a soothing hand running through his hair. “I will always be your father before I am a King, Noctis. If I neglect to give you the time of day, then you have permission to kick this old man into gear.” 

A watery laugh was muffled by his shoulder. Noctis pulled back after a few moments, smiling as he ran his hands over his mother’s old clothing. “You won best present of the year, at least,” he joked. 

“Well? Are you going to let it collect dust, or are you actually going to wear it?” He meant it in jest, of course, but Noctis nodded, regardless, and placed the box delicately beside him. He stood up, took a breath, and slipped on the jacket. It took him a moment to get the glove done up right, but he stood in front of Regis with pride anyway.

A single thought took Regis off guard, and he blinked to stop his own tears from forming.

_ He’s grown up so well, Aulea. I wish you were here to see him _ .

“Happy Birthday, my son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO! I can now tell you why this fic is called Pockets Full of Sunshine! Are you ready???
> 
>  
> 
> I named it after the song Pocketful of Sunshine because it was stuck in my head when I first started writing this lmao


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